A bad idea
Among the various bills offered in Washington and Austin are new efforts to force every U.S. resident to speak English. U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has pledged to file an English-only bill in Congress. Worse, similar bills already have been filed in the Texas Legislature. State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, has filed legislation to make English the official state language and require that all official business be conducted in that language. Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt, As we have noted before, it’s doubtful that such bills would pass constitutional muster. English-only laws certainly would violate other laws, such as the Voting Rights Act, which requires that ballots be available in other languages when a significant part of the population speaks that language. Citizenship is not based on language, and government entities must not place barriers, language or otherwise, that would make it more difficult for people to cast their ballots. The nativists who support such legislation are short-sighted, and forget this country’s honorable history of accepting troubled refugees. Such bills send a clear message to people in other countries: We don’t want you here. As America continues to fall behind other countries academically and is losing trade and commerce to other countries, we just might be convincing some of the brightest minds to stay home, and let their talents move their respective countries ahead of ours. We trust that majorities in the Legislature and Congress recognize the error in such proposals.
R-Lexington, has gone further, offering legislation that would require driving tests to be given only in English.
